Canadian Press

Native leaders call for regular protests

July 10, 2007 By: Alison Auld

HALIFAX – Several Canadian aboriginal leaders called Tuesday for a repeat of the national day of action, saying the event that snarled traffic and disrupted rail service helped elevate their concerns across the country.

In Halifax for the Assembly of First Nations annual general meeting, native chiefs said the largely peaceful protests made Canadians take notice of issues that have plagued their communities for decades – outstanding land claims, rampant poverty and the often abysmal living conditions on reserves.

"I think we should have this annually until we're satisfied," Chief Susan Levi-Peters of New Brunswick's Elsipogtog First Nation told hundreds of delegates.

"If we stop talking now, then everything will stop. We need to keep talking."

First Nations groups and their supporters, both militant and moderate, marked the national day of action on June 29 with marches, blockades, information sessions and newspaper ads.

A rogue group of Mohawk protesters, led by Shawn Brant, set up barricades near the town of Deseronto in eastern Ontario, prompting major rail and road disruptions, including one on Highway 401, the country's busiest highway.

Some chiefs in Halifax suggested there could be regular protests that could take on a more aggressive tone if the federal government fails to resolve long-standing grievances that leaders said are leaving their communities in desperation.

Chief Terrance Nelson of the Roseau River First Nation in southern Manitoba said if little is done to restore hope to aboriginal communities, the country could face a barrage of protests.

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"What Shawn Brant did is nothing compared to what is going to happen in the future if we can't give our people hope for the future," he told delegates.

Nelson said rates of unemployment that climb as high as 90 per cent in some communities, and poverty levels that compare to those in developing countries, could push natives to take more drastic actions.

The key fight, he said, should be to settle land claims disputes that have left bands tied up in courts or negotiations to acquire territory they say is rightfully theirs.

"Land is the only thing that's important," he said.

Assembly Chief Phil Fontaine said leaders will discuss the fallout from the national day of action throughout the three-day meeting and decide whether they should hold more.

Fontaine insisted that more Canadians now support aboriginals in their fights with government, citing a recent poll that suggested 77 per cent of people are on side with First Nations issues.

Fontaine also attributed Ottawa's recent decision to reform the land claims process, which came just weeks before the day of action, to pressure linked to the June 29 events.

But since then, he said, there has been no action on several issues, including the UN declaration on indigenous peoples, the Kelowna Accord or a funding cap.

"The situation is urgent. These are crisis situations," he said.

Chiefs also called for a declaration of support for Brant, who was denied bail earlier this month after turning himself in to Ontario Provincial Police.

Brant has been charged with mischief and breach of bail conditions stemming from a 30-hour blockade of the CN Rail line near Deseronto in April.

Chief Simon Fobister of the Grassy Narrows First Nation in Ontario praised protesters and said Brant shouldn't be left to fight his court battle on his own.

"Despite what we think of them, I think they have to be commended for their courage, for standing up for our rights," he said.

Levi-Peters said the leaders should insist that Brant be released immediately and that if "CN is going to sue him, we should counter sue."